This Day in Music, July 31: You've Got A Friend - A Genie In a Bottle

In 1971,
James Taylor went to No.1 on the US singles chart with the Carole King song
“You've Got A Friend”. The song would go on to win the 1971 Grammyfor Best Pop Vocal
Performance, Male. Taylor scored nine other solo U.S. Top 40 hits during the
'70s.

During an Eagles concert at Long Beach, California in 1980, tempers boiled over between
Glen Frey and Don Henley, who spent the entire show describing to each other
the beating each planned to administer backstage. "Only three more songs
until I kick your ass, pal," Frey told Henley. The group’s next album was
mixed by Frey and Henley on opposite coasts after the two decided they couldn't
bear to be in the same state, let alone the same studio.

In 1992,
Michael Jackson made an unscheduled appearance on his hotel balcony in London
after a man had threatened to jump from an apartment building across the
street. Eric Herminie, 28, told police he would leap to his death if he
didn't see Jackson, who was in Britain for a series of concerts. Jackson spent
a couple of minutes waving to Herminie, who then climbed back into the
building.

Christina Aguilera scored her first US No.1 single in 1999 with “Genie In A Bottle”,
also No.1 in the UK. The song spent five weeks at No.1 on the U.S. chart and won
Aguilera the Best New Artist Grammy for the year.

In 2002, the son of Bryan Ferry was arrested by armed police outside the UK prime
minister's County Durham home as he tried to stage a demonstration. Otis Ferry
went through security gates and was arrested when he refused to give his name.
He was trying to place posters supporting animal hunts on the walls of Mr
Blair's house.

A former musician, Neil was in the 80's group The Cheaters who were once signed to EMI's Parlophone label, and released three albums. He was also a radio presenter and is still a regular music pundit on various BBC stations. Neil is the founder of the award winning web site This Day in Music which is…